Kermadec Islands (redirected from Kermadec Islands Marine Reserve)

Kermadec Islands (kərmăd`ĕk), almost uninhabited, active volcanic group (c.13 sq mi/34 sq km), South Pacific, 450 mi (720 km) NE of New Zealand, of which they are a dependency. Raoul, or Sunday, Island, the largest, is mountainous, with three main craters. The group, now a nature reserve, was annexed to New Zealand in 1887. The islands are adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga Trench.

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Kermadec Islands

Volcanic island group, South Pacific Ocean. Located northeast of Auckland, N.Z., it includes Raoul, Macauley, and Curtis islands and l'Esperance Rock, and it has a total land area of 13 sq mi (34 sq km). Explored in the late 18th century by the British and the French, the islands were annexed to New Zealand in 1887. A meteorological communications station was built on Raoul, the largest island, in 1937, but permanent settlement is discouraged.